Chris Paige Wagers his Credibility at Parish Council Meeting

After watching the Parish Council meeting, I made the following observations:

Observation No. 1 – Chris Paige clearly thinks that you are stupid, that you don’t know how to read and that you can’t understand simple math. It is either that or Mr. Paige is a liar. I prefer to believe the latter! The most egregious lie of the night, which he couched as a wager, was that there are two people on Parish payroll whose salaries combined exceed 2 million dollars! I’m sorry, but anyone with even half a lick of sense should recognize that statement for the lie that it is. Even the good folks who seem determined to destroy our Parish by going back to a police jury form of government aren’t so gullible as to believe that lie! If you add up ALL of the salaries for the departments that the Parish Government has control over, you get $2,138,962!! And that includes the salaries for the Parish President and the Council members!

Observation No. 2 – The good folks who live on rural roads have selective memories where the condition of their roads are concerned. Go back and read the minutes of old police jury meetings to refresh your memory if you must, but the roads in Natchitoches Parish have been deteriorating for over 30 years now!

Under the police jury form of government, there was a Highway Steering Committee. The Committee was comprised of Police Jurors who were responsible for studying “any issue, matter or proposal relating to the operation of the Parish Highway department and/or the Parish road system prior to same being acted upon by the police jury as a corporate body.”

At its June 18, 2012 meeting, the police jury, upon recommendation of the Steering Committee, voted to cancel all previous backlog Work Requests at the Parish Highway Department for the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011!!! At that same meeting, Juror John Salter, who was the Parish Manager over the highway department, stated that “putting down gravel was about all the Jury could do in such a short time.”

Observation #3 – Another task of the Highway Steering Committee was the “approval for employment of persons recommended by the Director of Public Works for employment…”

The Parish employee who complained to the Council of being treated unfairly by the Parish Government started working for the police jury on June 18, 2012. Her recommendation for hiring wasn’t voted on and approved until the Council meeting was held at 4:00 p.m. that same day. The position she was hired for was not advertised and the highway department already had a secretary on staff. Why did the police jury find it necessary to create a job for this particular person? Could it be that Patsy Ward Hoover created the position for her? After all, the employee has been seen riding in the same vehicle as Mrs. Hoover in recent weeks and Mrs. Hoover, who was receiving an additional $400/month in pay, was the Assistant Parish Manager of the highway department at the time the employee was hired. If that is the case, Mrs. Hoover violated the Parish Code of Ordinances by using her position as a manager over the highway department and as a police juror to influence the Steering Committee’s selection and hiring of this particular person.

It’s time for the residents of this Parish to realize that people like Chris Paige, who is term-limited under the Home Rule Charter, only have use for us if we can help advance their personal agenda! It’s time to wake up and get educated!

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6 thoughts on “Chris Paige Wagers his Credibility at Parish Council Meeting”

Just make sure and not re-elect Page-Bedgood-Hoover when they come up for re-election. Page will be termed limited out and not eligible to run again and become good riddance for Parish government forever. None of the 3 named above have a clue about how government is suppose to work, nor do they have the leadership skills to figure it out. Our parish government is stuck in a rut until voters wake up and see the light of day and elect people who have governing know how and can use common sense in getting things done. Our Natchitoches Parish Council needs to be composed of representatives who have the best interest of the Parish and its citizens as their focal point rather than their narrow personal ill advised gain. DON’T RUN FOR OFFICE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE BEST INTENTIONS FOR THE BETTERMENT OF NATCHITOCHES PARISH! It is time to move forward.

I was interested in a motion placed by Mr. Page, before it was a parish council, to repave the road at Plantation Point followed by a motion by William Hymes to resurface Cedar Bend. Not long after that Hymes built a three story home on a lot in Plantation Point. Humm?